Magnetic recording medium having characterized magnetic layer

ABSTRACT

The magnetic recording medium includes a magnetic layer containing ferromagnetic powder and a binder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the magnetic layer contains an abrasive, an intensity ratio of a peak intensity of a diffraction peak of (110) plane of a crystal structure of the hexagonal ferrite, determined by performing X-ray diffraction analysis on the magnetic layer by using an In-Plane method, to a peak intensity of a diffraction peak of (114) plane of the crystal structure is equal to or higher than 0.5 and equal to or lower than 4.0, a squareness ratio of the magnetic recording medium in a vertical direction is equal to or higher than 0.65 and equal to or lower than 1.00, and a coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or lower than 0.30.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-140017 filed on Jul. 19, 2017. The above application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference, in its entirety, into the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, either or both of the recording of information on a magnetic recording medium and the reproduction of information performed by causing a magnetic head (hereinafter, simply described as “head” as well) to contact and slide on a surface of the magnetic recording medium (a surface of a magnetic layer).

In order to continuously or intermittently repeat the reproduction of the information recorded on the magnetic recording medium, the head is caused to repeatedly slide on the surface of the magnetic layer (repeated sliding). For improving the reliability of the magnetic recording medium as a recording medium for data storage, it is desirable to inhibit the deterioration of electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated reproduction. This is because a magnetic recording medium in which the electromagnetic conversion characteristics thereof hardly deteriorate during the repeated sliding can keep exhibiting excellent electromagnetic conversion characteristics even though the reproduction is continuously or intermittently repeated.

Examples of causes of the deterioration of electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated sliding include the occurrence of a phenomenon (referred to as “spacing loss”) in which a distance between the surface of the magnetic layer and the head increases. Examples of causes of the spacing loss include a phenomenon in which while reproduction is being repeated and the head is continuously sliding on the surface of the magnetic layer, foreign substances derived from the magnetic recording medium are attached to the head. In the related art, as a countermeasure for the head attachment occurring as above, an abrasive has been added to the magnetic layer such that the surface of the magnetic layer performs a function of removing the head attachment (for example, see JP2005-243162A).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is preferable to add an abrasive to the magnetic layer, because then it is possible to inhibit the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics resulting from the spacing loss that occurs due to the head attachment. Incidentally, in a case where the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics can be suppressed to a level that is higher than the level achieved by the addition of an abrasive to the magnetic layer as in the related art, it is possible to further improve the reliability of the magnetic recording medium as a recording medium for data storage.

The present invention is based on the above circumstances, and an aspect of the present invention provides for a magnetic recording medium in which the electromagnetic conversion characteristics thereof hardly deteriorate even though a head repeatedly slides on a surface of a magnetic layer.

An aspect of the present invention is a magnetic recording medium comprising a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer which is provided on the support and contains ferromagnetic powder and a binder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the magnetic layer contains an abrasive, an intensity ratio (Int (110)/Int (114)) (hereinafter, described as “XRD (X-ray diffraction) intensity ratio” as well) of a peak intensity Int (110) of a diffraction peak of (110) plane of a crystal structure of the hexagonal ferrite, determined by performing X-ray diffraction analysis on the magnetic layer by using an In-Plane method, to a peak intensity Int (114) of a diffraction peak of (114) plane of the crystal structure is equal to or higher than 0.5 and equal to or lower than 4.0, a squareness ratio of the magnetic recording medium in a vertical direction is equal to or higher than 0.65 and equal to or lower than 1.00, and a coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or lower than 0.30.

In one aspect, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction may be equal to or higher than 0.65 and equal to or lower than 0.90.

In one aspect, the coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer may be equal to or higher than 0.15 and equal to or lower than 0.30.

In one aspect, the magnetic recording medium may further comprise a non-magnetic layer containing non-magnetic powder and a binder between the non-magnetic support and the magnetic layer.

In one aspect, the magnetic recording medium may further comprise a back coating layer containing non-magnetic powder and a binder on a surface, which is opposite to a surface provided with the magnetic layer, of the non-magnetic support.

In one aspect, the magnetic recording medium may be a magnetic tape.

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a magnetic recording medium in which the electromagnetic conversion characteristics thereof hardly deteriorate even though a head is caused to repeatedly slide on a surface of a magnetic layer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An aspect of the present invention relates to magnetic recording medium including a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer which is provided on the support and contains ferromagnetic powder and a binder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the magnetic layer contains an abrasive, an intensity ratio (Int (110)/Int (114)) of a peak intensity Int (110) of a diffraction peak of (110) plane of a crystal structure of the hexagonal ferrite, determined by performing X-ray diffraction analysis on the magnetic layer by using an In-Plane method, to a peak intensity Int (114) of a diffraction peak of (114) plane of the crystal structure is equal to or higher than 0.5 and equal to or lower than 4.0, a squareness ratio of the magnetic recording medium in a vertical direction is equal to or higher than 0.65 and equal to or lower than 1.00, and a coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or lower than 0.30.

In the present invention and the present specification, “surface of the magnetic layer” refers to a surface of the magnetic recording medium on the magnetic layer side. Furthermore, in the present invention and the present specification, “ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder” refers to an aggregate of a plurality of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite particles. The ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite particles are ferromagnetic particles having a hexagonal ferrite crystal structure. Hereinafter, the particles constituting the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder (ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite particles) will be described as “hexagonal ferrite particles” or simply as “particles” as well. “Aggregate” is not limited to an aspect in which the particles constituting the aggregate directly contact each other, and also includes an aspect in which a binder, an additive, or the like is interposed between the particles. The same points as described above will also be applied to various powders such as non-magnetic powder in the present invention and the present specification.

In the present invention and the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the description relating to a direction and an angle (for example, “vertical”, “orthogonal”, or “parallel”) includes a margin of error accepted in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. For example, the aforementioned margin of error means a range less than a precise angle±10°. The margin of error is preferably within a precise angle±5°, and more preferably within a precise angle±3°.

Regarding the aforementioned magnetic recording medium, the inventor of the present invention made assumptions as below.

The magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium contains an abrasive. The addition of the abrasive to the magnetic layer enables the surface of the magnetic layer to perform a function of removing the head attachment. However, it is considered that in a case where the abrasive present on the surface of the magnetic layer and/or in the vicinity of the surface of the magnetic layer fails to appropriately permeate the inside of the magnetic layer by the force applied thereto from the head when the head is sliding on the surface of the magnetic layer, the head will be scraped by contacting the abrasive protruding from the surface of the magnetic layer (head scraping). It is considered that in a case where the head scraping that occurs as above can be inhibited, it is possible to further inhibit the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics caused by the spacing loss.

Regarding the aforementioned point, the inventor of the present invention assumes that in the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder contained in the magnetic layer include particles (hereinafter, referred to as “former particles”) which exert an influence on the degree of permeation of the abrasive by supporting the abrasive pushed into the inside of the magnetic layer and particles (hereinafter, referred to as “latter particles”) which are considered not to exert such an influence or to exert such an influence to a small extent. It is considered that the latter particles are fine particles resulting from partial chipping of particles due to the dispersion treatment performed at the time of preparing a composition for forming a magnetic layer, for example. The inventor of the present invention also assumes that the more the fine particles contained in the magnetic layer, the further the hardness of the magnetic layer decreases, although the reason is unclear. In a case where the hardness of the magnetic layer decreases, the surface of the magnetic layer is scraped when the head slides on the surface of the magnetic layer (magnetic layer scraping), the foreign substances occurring due to the scraping are interposed between the surface of the magnetic layer and the head, and as a result, spacing loss occurs.

The inventor of the present invention considers that in the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder present in the magnetic layer, the former particles are particles resulting in a diffraction peak in X-ray diffraction analysis using an In-Plane method, and the latter particles do not result in a diffraction peak or exert a small influence on a diffraction peak because they are fine. Therefore, the inventor of the present invention assumes that based on the intensity of the diffraction peak determined by X-ray diffraction analysis performed on the magnetic layer by using the In-Plane method, the way the particles, which support the abrasive pushed into the inside of the magnetic layer and exert an influence on the degree of permeation of the abrasive, are present in the magnetic layer can be controlled, and as a result, the degree of permeation of the abrasive can be controlled. The inventor of the present invention considers that the XRD intensity ratio, which will be specifically described later, is a parameter relating to the aforementioned point.

Meanwhile, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction is a ratio of remnant magnetization to saturation magnetization measured in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic layer. The smaller the remnant magnetization, the lower the ratio. Presumably, it is difficult for the latter particles to retain magnetization because they are fine. Therefore, presumably, as the amount of the latter particles contained in the magnetic layer increases, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction tends to be reduced. Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention considers that the squareness ratio in a vertical direction can be a parameter of the amount of the fine particles (the latter particles described above) present in the magnetic layer. The inventor of the present invention considers that as the amount of such fine particles contained in the magnetic layer increases, the hardness of the magnetic layer may decrease, and accordingly, the surface of the magnetic layer may be scraped when the head slides on the surface of the magnetic layer, the foreign substances that occur due to the scraping may be interposed between the surface of the magnetic layer and the head, and hence the spacing loss strongly tends to occur.

The inventor of the present invention considers that in the aforementioned magnetic recording medium, each of the XRD intensity ratio and the squareness ratio in a vertical direction is in the aforementioned range, and this makes a contribution to the inhibition of the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated sliding. According to the inventor of the present invention, presumably, this is because the control of the XRD intensity ratio mainly makes it possible to inhibit the head scraping, and the control of the squareness ratio in a vertical direction mainly makes it possible to inhibit the magnetic layer scraping.

Furthermore, the inventor of the present invention considers that, in the aforementioned magnetic recording medium, the state where the coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or lower than 0.30 makes a contribution of the further inhibition of the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated sliding. This point will be further described below.

In the present invention and the present specification, “base material portion” refers to a portion which is within the surface of the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium and specified by the following method.

A surface, which has convex components and concave components found to have the same volume within a visual field by being measured using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), is determined as a reference plane. Then, a bump having a height of equal to or greater than 15 nm from the reference plane is defined as a projection. Furthermore, a portion in which no such a projection is present, that is, a portion which is within the surface of the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium and in which a projection having a height of equal to or greater than 15 run from the reference plane is not detected is identified as a base material portion.

The coefficient of friction measured in the base material portion is a value measured by the following method.

In the base material portion (measurement site: a site 10 μm long along a longitudinal direction in a magnetic tape or a site extends 10 μm along a radius direction in a magnetic disc), a spherical indenter made of diamond having a radius of 1 μm is allowed to reciprocate once under a load of 100 μN and a speed of 1 μm/sec, and a frictional force (horizontal force) and a normal force are measured. Each of the frictional force and the normal force measured herein is an arithmetic mean of values obtained by measuring at all times the frictional force and the normal force while the indenter is reciprocating once. The measurement described above can be performed, for example, using a TI-950 TRIBOINDENTER manufactured by Hysitron. From the arithmetic mean of the measured frictional force and the arithmetic mean of the measured normal force, a value μ of the coefficient of friction is calculated. The coefficient of friction is a value determined from a frictional force (horizontal force) F (unit: newton (N)) and a normal force N (unit: newton (N)) by an equation of F=μN. The aforementioned measurement and the calculation of the value μ of the coefficient of friction are performed for three sites within the base material portion that are randomly determined within the surface of the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium, and the arithmetic mean of the obtained three measurement values is taken as the coefficient of friction measured in the base material portion. Hereinafter, the coefficient of friction measured in the base material portion will be described as “base material friction” as well.

In recent years, incorporating non-magnetic powder such as an abrasive into a magnetic layer of a magnetic recording medium has become a wide-spread process. Usually, by protruding from the surface of the magnetic layer and forming projections, the non-magnetic powder can perform various functions. Generally, a coefficient of friction measured for a magnetic recording medium is a coefficient of friction measured within a region including such projections. In contrast, the base material friction is measured in a portion which is within the surface of the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium and in which a projection having a height of equal to or greater than 15 nm from the reference plane is not detected. That is, the base material friction is measured in the base material portion. The base material portion is considered to infrequently come into contact with a head when the head slides on the surface of the magnetic layer. It is considered that in a case where the base material portion, which comes into contact with the head even though the frequency is low, has a high coefficient of friction, the head is hindered to smoothly slide on the base material portion. According to the inventor of the present invention, presumably, in a case where the head cannot smoothly slide on the base material portion, the sliding between the surface of the magnetic layer and the head may deteriorate, and as a result, the surface of the magnetic layer may be damaged, and the magnetic layer scraping may occur. On the contrary, it is considered that the state where the base material friction in the magnetic recording medium is equal to or lower than 0.30 makes a contribution to enable the head to smoothly slide on the base material portion, and as a result, the occurrence of magnetic layer scraping can be inhibited. The inventor of the present invention assumes that the points described above may make it possible to inhibit the electromagnetic conversion characteristics from deteriorating during the repeated sliding due to the occurrence of spacing loss resulting from foreign substances generated by the magnetic layer scraping.

The points described so far are assumptions that the inventor of the present invention made regarding the mechanism which makes it possible to inhibit the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics in the magnetic recording medium even though the head repeatedly slides on the surface of the magnetic layer. However, the present invention is not limited to the assumption. The present specification includes the assumption of the inventor of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the assumption.

Hereinbelow, various values will be more specifically described.

XRD Intensity Ratio

In the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic layer contains ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder. The XRD intensity ratio is determined by performing X-ray diffraction analysis on the magnetic layer containing the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder by using an In-Plane method. Hereinafter, the X-ray diffraction analysis performed using an In-Plane method will be described as “In-Plane XRD” as well. In-Plane XRD is performed by irradiating the surface of the magnetic layer with X-rays by using a thin film X-ray diffractometer under the following conditions. Magnetic recording media are roughly classified into a tape-like magnetic recording medium (magnetic tape) and a disc-like magnetic recording medium (magnetic disc). The magnetic tape is measured in a longitudinal direction, and the magnetic disc is measured in a radius direction.

Radiation source used: Cu radiation (power of 45 kV, 200 mA)

Scan condition: 0.05 degree/step within a range of 20 to 40 degree, 0.1 degree/min

Optical system used: parallel optical system

Measurement method: 2 θ_(χ) scan (X-ray incidence angle: 0.25°)

The above conditions are values set in the thin film X-ray diffractometer. As the thin film X-ray diffractometer, known instruments can be used. As one of the thin film X-ray diffiactometers, SmartLab manufactured by Rigaku Corporation can be exemplified. The sample used for In-Plane XRD analysis is not limited in terms of the size and shape, as long as it is a medium sample which is cut from a magnetic recording medium to be measured and enables the confirmation of a diffraction peak which will be described later.

Examples of the techniques of X-ray diffraction analysis include thin film X-ray diffraction and powder X-ray diffraction. By the powder X-ray diffraction, the X-ray diffraction of a powder sample is measured. In contrast, by the thin film X-ray diffraction, it is possible to measure the X-ray diffraction of a layer formed on a substrate and the like. The thin film X-ray diffraction is classified into an In-Plane method and an Out-Of-Plane method. In the Out-Of-Plane method, the X-ray incidence angle during measurement is within a range of 5.00° to 90.00°. In contrast, in the In-Plane method, the X-ray incidence angle is generally within a range of 0.20° to 0.50°. In the present invention and the present specification, the X-ray incidence angle in In-Plane XRD is set to be 0.25° as described above. In the In-Plane method, the X-ray incidence angle is smaller than in the Out-Of-Plane method, and hence the X-ray permeation depth is small. Accordingly, by the X-ray diffraction analysis (In-Plane XRD) using the In-Plane method, it is possible to analyze the X-ray diffraction of a surface layer portion of a sample to be measured. For the sample of the magnetic recording medium, the X-ray diffraction of the magnetic layer can be analyzed by In-Plane XRD. In an X-ray diffraction spectrum obtained by the aforementioned In-Plane XRD, the aforementioned XRD intensity ratio is an intensity ratio (Int (110)/Int (114)) of a peak intensity Int (110) of a diffraction peak of (110) plane of a crystal structure of the hexagonal ferrite to a peak intensity Int (114) of a diffraction peak of (114) plane of the crystal structure. Int is used as the abbreviation of intensity. In the X-ray diffraction spectrum obtained by In-Plane XRD (ordinate: intensity, abscissa: diffraction angle 2 θ_(χ) (degree)), the diffraction peak of (114) plane is a peak detected at 2 θ_(χ) that is within a range of 33 to 36 degree, and the diffraction peak of (110) plane is a peak detected at 2 θ_(χ) that is within a range of 29 to 32 degree.

Among diffraction planes, (114) plane of the crystal structure of the hexagonal ferrite is positioned close to a direction of a magnetization easy axis (c-axis direction) of the particles of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder (hexagonal ferrite particles). The (110) plane of the hexagonal ferrite crystal structure is positioned in a direction orthogonal the direction of the magnetization easy axis.

Regarding the aforementioned former particles among the hexagonal ferrite particles contained in the magnetic layer, the inventor of the present invention considered that the more the direction of the particles orthogonal to the magnetization easy axis is parallel to the surface of the magnetic layer, the more difficult it is for the abrasive to permeate the inside of the magnetic layer by being supported by the hexagonal ferrite particles. In contrast, regarding the former particles in the magnetic layer, the inventor of the present invention considers that the more the direction of the particles orthogonal to the magnetization easy axis is perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic layer, the easier it is for the abrasive to permeate the inside of the magnetic layer because it is difficult for the abrasive to be supported by the hexagonal ferrite powder. Furthermore, the inventor of the present invention assumes that in the X-ray diffraction spectra determined by In-Plane XRD, in a case where the intensity ratio (Int (110)/Int (114); XRD intensity ratio) of the peak intensity Int (110) of the diffraction peak of (110) plane to the peak intensity Int (114) of the diffraction peak of (114) plane of the hexagonal ferrite crystal structure is high, it means that the magnetic layer contains a large amount of the former particles whose direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetization easy axis is more parallel to the surface of the magnetic layer; and in a case where the XRD intensity ratio is low, it means that the magnetic layer contains a small amount of such former particles. In addition, the inventor considers that in a case where the XRD intensity ratio is equal to or lower than 4.0, it means that the former particles, that is, the particles, which support the abrasive pushed into the inside of the magnetic layer and exert an influence on the degree of the permeation of the abrasive, merely support the abrasive, and as a result, the abrasive can appropriately permeate the inside of the magnetic layer at the time when a head slides on the surface of the magnetic layer. The inventor of the present invention assumes that the aforementioned mechanism may make a contribution to hinder the occurrence of the head scraping even though the head repeatedly slides on the surface of the magnetic layer. In contrast, the inventor of the present invention considers that the state in which the abrasive appropriately protrudes from the surface of the magnetic layer when the head slides on the surface of the magnetic layer may make a contribution to the reduction of the contact area (real contact) between the surface of the magnetic layer and the head. The inventor considers that the larger the real contact area, the stronger the force applied to the surface of the magnetic layer from the head when the head slides on the surface of the magnetic layer, and as a result, the surface of the magnetic layer is damaged and scraped. Regarding this point, the inventor of the present invention assumes that in a case where the XRD intensity ratio is equal to or higher than 0.5, it shows that the aforementioned former particles are present in the magnetic layer in a state of being able to support the abrasive with allowing the abrasive to appropriately protrude from the surface of the magnetic layer when the head slides on the surface of the magnetic layer.

From the viewpoint of further inhibiting the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics, the XRD intensity ratio is preferably equal to or lower than 3.5, and more preferably equal to or lower than 3.0. From the same viewpoint, the XRD intensity ratio is preferably equal to or higher than 0.7, and more preferably equal to or higher than 1.0. The XRD intensity ratio can be controlled by the treatment conditions of the alignment treatment performed in the manufacturing process of the magnetic recording medium. As the alignment treatment, it is preferable to perform a vertical alignment treatment. The vertical alignment treatment can be preferably performed by applying a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the wet (undried) coating layer of the composition for forming a magnetic layer. The further the alignment conditions are strengthened, the higher the XRD intensity ratio tends to be. Examples of the treatment conditions of the alignment treatment include the magnetic field intensity in the alignment treatment and the like. The treatment conditions of the alignment treatment are not particularly limited, and may be set such that an XRD intensity ratio of equal to or higher than 0.5 and equal to or lower than 4.0 can be achieved. For example, the magnetic field intensity in the vertical alignment treatment can be set to be 0.10 to 0.80 T or 0.10 to 0.60 T. As the dispersibility of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder in the composition for forming a magnetic layer is improved, the value of the XRD intensity ratio tends to increase by the vertical alignment treatment.

Squareness Ratio in Vertical Direction

The squareness ratio in a vertical direction is a squareness ratio measured in a vertical direction of the magnetic recording medium. “Vertical direction” described regarding the squareness ratio refers to a direction orthogonal to the surface of the magnetic layer. For example, in a case where the magnetic recording medium is a tape-like magnetic recording medium, that is, a magnetic tape, the vertical direction is a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape. The squareness ratio in a vertical direction is measured using a vibrating sample fluxmeter. Specifically, in the present invention and the present specification, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction is a value determined by carrying out scanning in the vibrating sample fluxmeter by applying a maximum external magnetic field of 1,194 kA/m (15 kOe) as an external magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium, at a measurement temperature of 23° C.±1° C. under the condition of a scan rate of 4.8 kA/m/sec (60 Oe/sec), which is used after being corrected for a demagnetizing field. The measured squareness ratio is a value from which the magnetization of a sample probe of the vibrating sample fluxmeter is subtracted as background noise.

The squareness ratio in a vertical direction of the magnetic recording medium is equal to or higher than 0.65. The inventor of the present invention assumes that the squareness ratio in a vertical direction of the magnetic recording medium can be a parameter of the amount of the aforementioned latter particles (fine particles) present in the magnetic layer that are considered to induce the reduction in the hardness of the magnetic layer. It is considered that the magnetic layer in the magnetic recording medium having a squareness ratio in a vertical direction of equal to or higher than 0.65 has high hardness because of containing a small amount of such fine particles and is hardly scraped by the sliding of the head on the surface of the magnetic layer. Presumably, because the surface of the magnetic layer is hardly scraped, it is possible to inhibit the electromagnetic conversion characteristics from deteriorating due to the occurrence of spacing loss resulting from foreign substances that occur due to the scraping of the surface of the magnetic layer. From the viewpoint of further inhibiting the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction is preferably equal to or higher than 0.68, more preferably equal to or higher than 0.70, even more preferably equal to or higher than 0.73, and still more preferably equal to or higher than 0.75. In principle, the squareness ratio is 1.00 at most. Accordingly, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction of the magnetic recording medium is equal to or lower than 1.00. The squareness ratio in a vertical direction may be equal to or lower than 0.95, 0.90, 0.87, or 0.85, for example. The larger the value of the squareness ratio in a vertical direction, the smaller the amount of the aforementioned fine latter particles in the magnetic layer. Therefore, it is considered that from the viewpoint of the hardness of the magnetic layer, the value of the squareness ratio is preferably large. Accordingly, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction may be higher than the upper limit exemplified above.

The inventor of the present invention considers that in order to obtain a squareness ratio in a vertical direction of equal to or higher than 0.65, it is preferable to inhibit fine particles from occurring due to partial chipping of particles in the step of preparing the composition for forming a magnetic layer. Specific means for inhibiting the occurrence of chipping will be described later.

Base Material Friction

The coefficient of friction (base material friction) measured in the base material portion within the surface of the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium is equal to or lower than 0.30, from the viewpoint of inhibiting the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics. From the viewpoint of further inhibiting the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics, the coefficient of friction is preferably equal to or lower than 0.28, and more preferably equal to or lower than 0.26. Furthermore, the base material friction can be, for example, equal to or higher than 0.10, 0.15, or 0.20. Here, from the viewpoint of inhibiting the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics, the lower the base material friction, the more preferable. Therefore, the base material friction may be lower than the value exemplified above.

In the method for measuring the base material friction, a bump having a height of equal to or greater than 15 nm from the reference plane is defined as a projection. This is because, generally, the bump recognized as a projection present on the surface of the magnetic layer is mainly a bump having a height of equal to or greater than 15 nm from the reference plane. Such a projection is formed of non-magnetic powder such as an abrasive on the surface of the magnetic layer. In contrast, it is considered that on the surface of the magnetic layer, there may be microscopic concavities and convexities smaller than concavities and convexities formed by such projections. Furthermore, presumably, by controlling the shape of such microscopic concavities and convexities, it is possible to adjust the base material friction. For example, as one of the means for adjusting the base material friction, two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes are used as ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder. More specifically, it is considered that in a case where the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having a larger mean particle size becomes convex portions, the aforementioned microscopic concavities and convexities can be formed in the base material portion, and in a case where a mixing ratio of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having a larger mean particle size is increased, the ratio of the convex portions present in the base material portions can be increased (or inversely, in a case where the mixing ratio is decreased, the ratio of the convex portions present in the base material portion can be decreased). Means for doing these things will be specifically described later.

As another means, for example, in addition to the non-magnetic powder such as an abrasive, which can form a projection having a height of equal to or greater than 15 nm from the reference plane on the surface of the magnetic layer, another non-magnetic powder having a mean particle size larger than that of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder is used to form the magnetic layer. More specifically, it is considered that in a case where the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder becomes convex portions, the aforementioned microscopic concavities and convexities can be formed in the base material portion, and in a case where the mixing ratio of the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder is increased, the ratio of the convex portions present in the base material portion can be increased (or inversely, in a case where the mixing ratio is decreased, the ratio of the convex portions present in the base material portion can be decreased). Means for doing these things will be specifically described later.

In addition, by combining two kinds of means described above, the base material friction can be adjusted.

Here, the aforementioned adjustment means is merely an example. The base material friction can become equal to or lower than 0.30 by any means that can adjust the base material friction, and this aspect is also included in the present invention.

Hereinafter, the magnetic recording medium will be more specifically described.

Magnetic Layer

Ferromagnetic Hexagonal Ferrite Powder

The magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium contains ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder as ferromagnetic powder. Regarding the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, a magnetoplumbite type (referred to as “M type” as well), a W type, a Y type, and Z type are known as crystal structures of the hexagonal ferrite. The ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder contained in the magnetic layer may take any of the above crystal structures. The crystal structures of the hexagonal ferrite contain an iron atom and a divalent metal atom as constituent atoms. The divalent metal atom is a metal atom which can become a divalent cation as an ion, and examples thereof include alkali earth metal atoms such as a barium atom, a strontium atom, and a calcium atom, a lead atom, and the like. For example, the hexagonal ferrite containing a barium atom as a divalent metal atom is barium ferrite, and the hexagonal ferrite containing a strontium atom is strontium ferrite. The hexagonal ferrite may be a mixed crystal of two or more kinds of hexagonal ferrite. As one of the mixed crystals, a mixed crystal of barium ferrite and strontium ferrite can be exemplified.

As described above, as one of the means for adjusting the base material friction, for example, as ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes are used to form the magnetic layer. In this case, among the two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders, the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having a small mean particle size is preferably used as ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder that is used at the highest proportion, because then the recording density of the magnetic recording medium is improved. In this respect, in a case where two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes are incorporated into the magnetic layer, as the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion based on mass, ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having a mean particle size of equal to or smaller than 50 nm is preferably used. In contrast, from the viewpoint of the magnetization stability, the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion is preferably equal to or greater than 10 nm. In a case where one kind of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder is used instead of two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes, for the aforementioned reason, the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder is preferably equal to or greater than 10 nm and equal to or smaller than 50 nm.

In contrast, it is preferable that the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used together with the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion has a mean particle size larger than that of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion. This is because the base material friction is considered to be able to be reduced by the convex portions formed in the base material portion by the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having a large mean particle size. In this respect, for the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion and the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used together with the aforementioned ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, a difference obtained by “(mean particle size of the latter)−(mean particle size of the former)” is preferably within a range of 10 to 80 nm, more preferably within a range of 10 to 50 nm, and even more preferably within a range of 10 to 40 nm. It goes without saying that two or more ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having different mean particle sizes can be used as the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used together with the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion. In this case, the mean particle size of at least one kind of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder among the aforementioned two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders preferably satisfies the aforementioned difference with respect to the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used at the highest proportion, the mean particle size of more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders more preferably satisfies the aforementioned difference with respect to the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used at the highest proportion, and the mean particle size of all ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders even more preferably satisfies the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used at the highest proportion.

Regarding the two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes, from the viewpoint of controlling the base material friction, a mixing ratio between the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion and another ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder (in a case where two or more kinds having different mean particle sizes are used as another ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the total amount thereof) based on mass is preferably within a range of 90.0:10.0 to 99.9:0.1 (the former:the latter), and more preferably within a range of 95.0:5.0 to 99.5:0.5.

The ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes refers to all or a portion of lots of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes. In a case where a number-based particle size distribution or a volume-based particle size distribution of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder contained in the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium formed using the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes is measured by a known measurement method such as a dynamic light scattering method or a laser diffraction method, in a particle size distribution curve obtained by the measurement, generally, a peak can be confirmed in the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used at the highest proportion or in the vicinity of the mean particle size. Furthermore, a peak is confirmed in the mean particle size of each ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder or in the vicinity thereof in some cases. Accordingly, for example, in a case where the particle size distribution of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, which is contained in the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium formed using ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having a mean particle size of 10 to 50 nm at the highest proportion, is measured, usually, in the particle size distribution curve, a maximum peak can be confirmed within the range of a particle size of 10 to 50 nm.

A portion of the aforementioned another ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder may be substituted with still another non-magnetic powder which will be described later.

In the present invention and the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the mean particle size of various powders such as ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder is a value measured using a transmission electron microscope by the following method.

The powder is imaged using a transmission electron microscope at a 100,000× magnification, and the image is printed on photographic paper such that the total magnification thereof becomes 500,000×, thereby obtaining an image of particles constituting the powder. From the obtained image of the particles, target particles are selected, the outlines of the particles are traced using a digitizer, and the size of the particles (primary particles) is measured. The primary particles refer to independent particles not being aggregated with each other.

The measurement is performed for 500 particles that are randomly extracted. The arithmetic mean of the particles sizes of the 500 particles obtained as above is taken as the mean particle size of the powder. As the aforementioned transmission electron microscope, for example, it is possible to use a transmission electron microscope H-9000 manufactured by Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation. Furthermore, the particle size can be measured using known image analysis software such as image analysis software KS-400 manufactured by Carl Zeiss AG.

In the present invention and the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and another powder refers to a mean particle size determined by the method described above. Unless otherwise specified, the mean particle size shown in examples, which will be described later, is a value measured using a transmission electron microscope H-9000 manufactured by Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation as a transmission electron microscope and image analysis software KS-400 manufactured by Carl Zeiss AG as image analysis software.

As the method for collecting sample powder from a magnetic tape for measuring the particle size, for example, it is possible to adopt the method described in paragraph “0015” in JP2011-048878A.

In the present invention and present specification, unless otherwise specified, the size of particles (particle size) constituting powder is represented by the following ones.

(1) In a case where the particles observed in the aforementioned image of particles have a needle shape, a spindle shape, a columnar shape (here, the height is larger than the maximum major axis of the bottom surface), or the like, the particle size is represented by the length of the major axis constituting the particles, that is, the major axis length.

(2) In a case where the particles observed in the aforementioned image of particles have a plate-like shape or a columnar shape (here, the thickness or the height is smaller than the maximum major axis of the plate surface or the bottom surface), the particle size is represented by the maximum major axis of the plate surface or the bottom surface.

(3) In a case where the particles observed in the aforementioned image of particles have a spherical shape, a polyhedral shape, an unspecified shape, or the like, and the major axis constituting the particles cannot be specified from the shape, the particle size is represented by the equivalent circle diameter. The equivalent circle diameter refers to a value determined by a circular projection method.

For obtaining the average aspect ratio of the powder, the length of the minor axis of the particles, that is, the minor axis length is measured by the aforementioned measurement, and the value of (major axis length/minor axis length) is determined for each particle. The average aspect ratio refers to the arithmetic mean of the values obtained for the aforementioned 500 particles. Herein, unless otherwise specified, in a case where the particle size is defined by (1), the minor axis length refers to the length of the minor axis constituting the particles; in a case where the particle size is defined by (2), the minor axis length refers to the thickness or the height respectively; and in a case where the particle size is defined by (3), for convenience, the value of (major axis length/minor axis length) is regarded as 1 because the distinction between a major axis and a minor axis is not applied to this case.

Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, in a case where the particles have a specific shape, for example, in a case where the particle size is defined by (1), the mean particle size is the average major axis length, and in a case where the particle size is defined by (2), the mean particle size is the average plate diameter. In a case where the particle size is defined by (3), the mean particle size is the average diameter (also called the mean particle size or the mean particle diameter).

As described above, the shape of the particles constituting the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder is specified by tracing the outlines of the particles (primary particles) by using a digitizer in the particle image obtained using a transmission electron microscope. Regarding the shape of the particles constituting the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, “plate-like” means a shape having two plate surfaces facing each other. Among particle shapes that do not have such plate surfaces, a shape having a major axis and a minor axis different from each other is “elliptical”. The major axis is an axis (straight line) which is the longest diameter of a particle. The minor axis is a straight line which is the longest diameter of a particle in a direction orthogonal to the major axis. A shape in which the major axis and the minor axis are the same as each other, that is, a shape in which the major axis length equals the minor axis length is “spherical”. A shape in which the major axis and the minor axis cannot be identified is called “amorphous”. The imaging performed for identifying the particle shape by using a transmission electron microscope is carried out without performing an alignment treatment on the powder to be imaged. The raw material powder used for preparing the composition for forming a magnetic layer and the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder contained in the magnetic layer may take any of the plate-like shape, the elliptical shape, the spherical shape and the amorphous shape.

For details of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, for example, paragraphs “0134” to “0136” in JP2011-216149A can also be referred to.

The content (filling rate) of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder in the magnetic layer is preferably within a range of 50% to 90% by mass, and more preferably within a range of 60% to 90% by mass. The magnetic layer contains at least a binder and an abrasive as components other than the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, and can optionally contain one or more kinds of additives. From the viewpoint of improving the recording density, the filling rate of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder in the magnetic layer is preferably high.

Binder and Curing Agent

The magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium contains a binder. As the binder, one or more kinds of resins are used. The resin may be a homopolymer or a copolymer. As the binder contained in the magnetic layer, a binder selected from an acryl resin obtained by copolymerizing a polyurethane resin, a polyester resin, a polyamide resin, a vinyl chloride resin, styrene, acrylonitrile, or methyl methacrylate, a cellulose resin such as nitrocellulose, an epoxy resin, a phenoxy resin, a polyvinyl alkyral resin such as polyvinyl acetal or polyvinyl butyral can be used singly, or a plurality of resins can be used by being mixed together. Among these, a polyurethane resin, an acryl resin, a cellulose resin, and a vinyl chloride resin are preferable. These resins can be used as a binder in a non-magnetic layer and/or a back coating layer which will be described later. Regarding the aforementioned binders, paragraphs “0029” to “0031” in JP2010-24113A can be referred to. The average molecular weight of the resin used as a binder can be equal to or greater than 10,000 and equal to or less than 200,000 in terms of a weight-average molecular weight, for example. The weight-average molecular weight in the present invention and the present specification is a value determined by measuring a molecular weight by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and expressing the molecular weight in terms of polystyrene. As the measurement conditions, the following conditions can be exemplified. The weight-average molecular weight shown in examples which will be described later is a value determined by measuring a molecular weight under the following measurement conditions and expressing the molecular weight in terms of polystyrene.

GPC instrument: HLC-8120 (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation)

Column: TSK gel Multipore HXL-M (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation, 7.8 mmID (Inner Diameter)×30.0 cm)

Eluent: tetrahydrofuran (THF)

At the time of forming the magnetic layer, it is possible to use a curing agent together with a resin usable as the aforementioned binder. In an aspect, the curing agent can be a thermosetting compound which is a compound experiencing a curing reaction (crosslinking reaction) by heating. In another aspect, the curing agent can be a photocurable compound experiencing a curing reaction (crosslinking reaction) by light irradiation. The curing agent experiences a curing reaction in the manufacturing process of the magnetic recording medium. In this way, at least a portion of the curing agent can be contained in the magnetic layer, in a state of reacting (cross-linked) with other components such as the binder. The curing agent is preferably a thermosetting compound which is suitably polyisocyanate. For details of polyisocyanate, paragraphs “0124” and “0125” in JP2011-216149A can be referred to. The curing agent can be used by being added to the composition for forming a magnetic layer, in an amount of 0 to 80.0 parts by mass with respect to 100.0 parts by mass of the binder and preferably in an amount of 50.0 to 80.0 parts by mass from the viewpoint of improving the hardness of the magnetic layer.

Abrasive

The magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium contains an abrasive. The abrasive refers to non-magnetic powder having a Mohs hardness of higher than 8, and is preferably non-magnetic powder having a Mohs hardness of equal to or higher than 9. The abrasive may be powder of an inorganic substance (inorganic powder) or powder of an organic substance (organic powder), and is preferably inorganic powder. The abrasive is preferably inorganic powder having a Mohs hardness of higher than 8, and even more preferably inorganic powder having Mohs hardness of equal to or higher than 9. The maximum value of the Mohs hardness is 10 which is the Mohs hardness of diamond. Specific examples of the abrasive include powder of alumina (Al₂O₃), silicon carbide, boron carbide (B₄C), TiC, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), diamond, and the like. Among these, alumina powder is preferable. Regarding the alumina powder, paragraph “0021” in JP2013-229090A can also be referred to. As a parameter of the particle size of the abrasive, specific surface area can be used. The larger the specific surface area, the smaller the particle size. It is preferable to use an abrasive having a specific surface area (hereinafter, described as “BET specific surface area”) of equal to or greater than 14 m²/g, which is measured for primary particles by a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. From the viewpoint of dispersibility, it is preferable to use an abrasive having a BET specific surface area of equal to or less than 40 m²/g. The content of the abrasive in the magnetic layer is preferably 1.0 to 20.0 parts by mass with respect to 100.0 parts by mass of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder.

Additive

The magnetic layer contains the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the binder, and the abrasive, and may further contain one or more kinds of additives if necessary. As one of the additives, the aforementioned curing agent can be exemplified. Examples of the additives that can be contained in the magnetic layer include non-magnetic powder, a lubricant, a dispersant, a dispersion aid, a fungicide, an antistatic agent, an antioxidant, and the like. As one of the additives which can be used in the magnetic layer containing the abrasive, the dispersant described in paragraphs “0012” to “0022” in JP2013-131285A can be exemplified as a dispersant for improving the dispersibility of the abrasive in the composition for forming a magnetic layer.

Examples of the dispersant also include known dispersants such as a carboxy group-containing compound and a nitrogen-containing compound. The nitrogen-containing compound may be any one of a primary amine represented by NH₂R, a secondary amine represented by NHR₂, and a tertiary amine represented by NR₃, for example. R represents any structure constituting the nitrogen-containing compound, and a plurality of R′s present in the compound may be the same as or different from each other. The nitrogen-containing compound may be a compound (polymer) having a plurality of repeating structures in a molecule. The inventor of the present invention considers that because the nitrogen-containing portion of the nitrogen-containing compound functions as a portion adsorbed onto the surface of particles of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the nitrogen-containing compound can act as a dispersant. Examples of the carboxy group-containing compound include fatty acids such as oleic acid. Regarding the carboxy group-containing compound, the inventor of the present invention considers that because the carboxy group functions as a portion adsorbed onto the surface of particles of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the carboxy group-containing compound can act as a dispersant. It is also preferable to use the carboxy group-containing compound and the nitrogen-containing compound in combination.

Examples of the non-magnetic powder that can be contained in the magnetic layer include non-magnetic powder (hereinafter, described as “projection-forming agent” as well) which can contribute to the control of frictional characteristics by forming projections on the surface of the magnetic layer. As such a non-magnetic powder, it is possible to use various non-magnetic powders generally used in a magnetic layer. The non-magnetic powder may be inorganic powder or organic powder. In an aspect, from the viewpoint of uniformizing the frictional characteristics, it is preferable that the particle size distribution of the non-magnetic powder is not polydisperse distribution having a plurality of peaks in the distribution but monodisperse distribution showing a single peak. From the viewpoint of ease of availability of the monodisperse particles, the non-magnetic powder is preferably inorganic powder. Examples of the inorganic powder include powder of a metal oxide, a metal carbonate, a metal sulfate, a metal nitride, a metal carbide, a metal sulfide, and the like. The particles constituting the non-magnetic powder are preferably colloidal particles, and more preferably colloidal particles of an inorganic oxide. From the viewpoint of ease of availability of the monodisperse particles, the inorganic oxide constituting the colloidal particles of an inorganic oxide is preferably silicon dioxide (silica). The colloidal particles of an inorganic oxide are preferably colloidal silica (colloidal silica particles). In the present invention and the present specification, “colloidal particles” refer to the particles which can form a colloidal dispersion by being dispersed without being precipitated in a case where the particles are added in an amount of 1 g per 100 mL of at least one organic solvent among methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, toluene, ethyl acetate, and a mixed solvent containing two or more kinds of the solvents described above at any mixing ratio. In another aspect, the non-magnetic powder is also preferably carbon black. The mean particle size of the non-magnetic powder is 30 to 300 nm for example, and preferably 40 to 200 nm. The content of the non-magnetic powder in the magnetic layer is, with respect to 100.0 parts by mass of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, preferably 1.0 to 4.0 parts by mass and more preferably 1.5 to 3.5 parts by mass, because then the non-magnetic filler can demonstrate better the function thereof.

As described above, in order to control the base material friction such that it becomes equal to or lower than 0.30, in addition to the aforementioned non-magnetic powder, another non-magnetic powder can also be used. The Mohs hardness of such a non-magnetic powder is preferably equal to or lower than 8, and various non-magnetic powders generally used in a non-magnetic layer can be used. The details thereof will be described later in relation to the non-magnetic layer. As more preferred non-magnetic powder, colcothar can be exemplified. The Mohs hardness of colcothar is about 6.

It is preferable that the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder has a mean particle size larger than that of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, just like the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used together with the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder described above of which the proportion in the magnetic layer is the highest. This is because the convex portions formed in the base material portion by the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder are considered to be able to reduce the base material friction. In this respect, regarding the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and the mean particle size of the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder used together with the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, a difference determined by “(mean particle size of the latter)−(mean particle size of the former)” is preferably within a range of 10 to 80 nm, and more preferably within a range of 10 to 50 nm. In a case where two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes are used as ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, as the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder used for calculating the difference in the mean particle size with respect to the aforementioned another non-magnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, among two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders, ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion based on mass is adopted. It goes without saying that two or more kinds of non-magnetic powders having different mean particle sizes can be used as the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder. In this case, the mean particle size of at least one kind of non-magnetic powder among the aforementioned two or more kinds of non-magnetic powders preferably satisfies the aforementioned difference with respect to the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the mean particle size of more kinds of non-magnetic powders more preferably satisfies the aforementioned difference with respect to the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, and the mean particle size of all non-magnetic powders even more preferably satisfies the aforementioned difference with respect to the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder.

From the viewpoint of controlling the base material friction, a mixing ratio between the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder (in a case where two or more kinds having different mean particle sizes are used as the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder, the total amount thereof) based on mass is preferably within a range of 90.0:10.0 to 99.9:0.1 (the former:the latter), and more preferably within a range of 95.0:5.0 to 99.5:0.5.

As various additives that can be optionally contained in the magnetic layer, commercially available products or those manufactured by known methods can be selected and used according to the desired properties.

The magnetic layer described so far can be provided on the surface of the non-magnetic support, directly or indirectly through a non-magnetic layer.

Non-Magnetic Layer

Next, a non-magnetic layer will be described.

The magnetic recording medium may have the magnetic layer directly on the surface of the non-magnetic support, or may have a non-magnetic layer containing non-magnetic powder and a binder between the non-magnetic support and the magnetic layer. The non-magnetic powder contained in the non-magnetic layer may be inorganic powder or organic powder. Furthermore, carbon black or the like can also be used. Examples of the inorganic powder include powder of a metal, a metal oxide, a metal carbonate, a metal sulfate, a metal nitride, a metal carbide, a metal sulfide, and the like. These non-magnetic powders can be obtained as commercially available products, or can be manufactured by known methods. For details of the non-magnetic powder, paragraphs “0036” to “0039” in JP2010-24113A can be referred to. The content (filling rate) of the non-magnetic powder in the non-magnetic layer is preferably within a range of 50% to 90% by mass, and more preferably within a range of 60% to 90% by mass.

For other details of the binder, the additives, and the like of the non-magnetic layer, known techniques relating to the non-magnetic layer can be applied. For example, regarding the type and content of the binder, the type and content of the additives, and the like, known techniques relating to the magnetic layer can also be applied.

In the present invention and the present specification, the non-magnetic layer also includes a substantially non-magnetic layer which contains non-magnetic powder with a small amount of ferromagnetic powder as an impurity or by intention, for example. Herein, the substantially non-magnetic layer refers to a layer having a remnant flux density of equal to or lower than 10 mT or a coercive force of equal to or lower than 7.96 kA/m (100 Oe) or having a remnant flux density of equal to or lower than 10 mT and a coercive force of equal to or lower than 7.96 kA/m (100 Oe). It is preferable that the non-magnetic layer does not have remnant flux density and coercive force.

Non-Magnetic Support

Next, a non-magnetic support (hereinafter, simply described as “support” as well) will be described.

Examples of the non-magnetic support include known supports such as biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide, polyamide imide, and aromatic polyamide. Among these, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, and polyamide are preferable. These supports may be subjected to corona discharge, a plasma treatment, an easy adhesion treatment, a heat treatment, and the like in advance.

Back Coating Layer

The magnetic recording medium can have a back coating layer containing non-magnetic powder and a binder, on a surface side of the non-magnetic support opposite to a surface side provided with the magnetic layer. It is preferable that the back coating layer contains either or both of carbon black and inorganic powder. Regarding the binder contained in the back coating layer and various additives which can be optionally contained therein, known techniques relating to the back coating layer can be applied, and known techniques relating to the formulation of the magnetic layer and/or the non-magnetic layer can also be applied.

Various Thicknesses

The thickness of the non-magnetic support and each layer in the magnetic recording medium will be described below.

The thickness of the non-magnetic support is 3.0 to 80.0 μm for example, preferably 3.0 to 50.0 μm, and more preferably 3.0 to 10.0 μm.

The thickness of the magnetic layer can be optimized according to the saturation magnetization of the magnetic head to be used, the length of head gap, the band of recording signals, and the like. The thickness of the magnetic layer is generally 10 nm to 100 nm. From the viewpoint of high-density recording, the thickness of the magnetic layer is preferably 20 to 90 nm, and more preferably 30 to 70 nm. The magnetic layer may be constituted with at least one layer, and may be separated into two or more layers having different magnetic characteristics. Furthermore, the constitution relating to known multi-layered magnetic layers can be applied. In a case where the magnetic layer is separated into two or more layers, the thickness of the magnetic layer means the total thickness of the layers.

The thickness of the non-magnetic layer is equal to or greater than 50 nm for example, preferably equal to or greater than 70 nm, and more preferably equal to or greater than 100 nm. In contrast, the thickness of the non-magnetic layer is preferably equal to or less than 800 nm, and more preferably equal to or less than 500 nm.

The thickness of the back coating layer is preferably equal to or less than 0.9 μm, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.7 μm.

The thickness of each layer and the non-magnetic support of the magnetic recording medium can be measured by known film thickness measurement methods. For example, a cross section of the magnetic recording medium in a thickness direction is exposed by known means such as ion beams or a microtome, and then the exposed cross section is observed using a scanning electron microscope. By observing the cross section, a thickness of one site in the thickness direction or an arithmetic mean of thicknesses of two or more randomly extracted sites, for example, two sites can be determined as various thicknesses. Furthermore, as the thickness of each layer, a design thickness calculated from the manufacturing condition may be used.

Manufacturing Process

Preparation of Composition for Forming Each Layer

The step of preparing a composition for forming the magnetic layer, the non-magnetic layer, or the back coating layer generally includes at least a kneading step, a dispersion step, and a mixing step that is performed if necessary before and after the aforementioned steps. Each of the aforementioned steps may be divided into two or more stages. The components used for preparing the composition for forming each layer may be added at the initial stage or in the middle of any of the above steps. As a solvent, it is possible to use one kind of solvent or two or more kinds of solvents generally used for manufacturing a coating-type magnetic recording medium. Regarding the solvent, for example, paragraph “0153” in JP2011-216149A can be referred to. Furthermore, each of the components may be added in divided portions in two or more steps. For example, the binder may be added in divided portions in the kneading step, the dispersion step, and the mixing step performed after dispersion to adjust viscosity. In order to manufacture the aforementioned magnetic recording medium, the manufacturing techniques known in the related art can be used in various steps. In the kneading step, it is preferable to use an instrument having strong kneading force, such as an open kneader, a continuous kneader, a pressurized kneader, or an extruder. For details of the kneading treatment, JP1989-106338A (JP-H01-106338A) and JP1989-79274A (JP-H01-79274A) can be referred to. As a disperser, known ones can be used. The composition for forming each layer may be filtered by a known method before being subjected to a coating step. The filtration can be performed using a filter, for example. As the filter used for the filtration, for example, it is possible to use a filter having a pore size of 0.01 to 3 μm (for example, a filter made of glass fiber, a filter made of polypropylene, or the like).

Regarding the control of the base material friction, as described above, in an aspect, the magnetic recording medium can be manufactured using two or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having different mean particle sizes. That is, the magnetic layer can be formed using, as ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and one or more kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders having a mean particle size larger than that of the first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder. As preferred aspects of such a method for forming a magnetic layer, the following aspects described in (1) to (3) can be exemplified. A combination of two or more aspects described below is a more preferred aspect of the method for forming a magnetic layer. The first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder refers to one kind of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder among two or more ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders to be used and is preferably the aforementioned ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder accounting for the highest proportion based on mass.

(1) The mean particle size of the first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder is within a range of 10 to 80 nm.

(2) The difference between the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, which has a mean particle size larger than that of the first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, and the mean particle size of the first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder is within a range of 10 to 50 nm.

(3) The mixing ratio between the first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having a mean particle size larger than that of the first ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder based on mass is within a range of 90.0:10.0 to 99.9:0.1 (the former:the latter).

Furthermore, in another aspect, a magnetic tape can be manufactured using, as non-magnetic powder of a magnetic layer, non-magnetic powder other than the abrasive and the projection-forming agent. That is, the magnetic layer can be formed using the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder. As preferred aspects of such a method for forming a magnetic layer, the following aspects described in (4) to (6) can be exemplified. A combination of two or more aspects described below is a more preferred aspect of the method for forming a magnetic layer.

(4) The mean particle size of the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder is larger than the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder.

(5) The difference between the mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and the mean particle size of the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder is within a range of 10 to 80 nm.

(6) The mixing ratio between the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and the aforementioned another non-magnetic powder based on mass is within a range of 90.0:10.0 to 99.9:0.1 (the former:the latter).

Regarding the dispersion treatment for the composition for forming a magnetic layer, as described above, it is preferable to inhibit the occurrence of chipping. In order to inhibit chipping, in the step of preparing the composition for forming a magnetic layer, it is preferable to perform the dispersion treatment for the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder in two stages, such that coarse aggregates of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder are disintegrated in the first stage of the dispersion treatment and then the second stage of the dispersion treatment is performed in which the collision energy applied to the particles of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder due to the collision with dispersion beads is smaller than in the first dispersion treatment. According to the dispersion treatment described above, it is possible to achieve both of the improvement of dispersibility of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder and the inhibition of occurrence of chipping.

Examples of preferred aspects of the aforementioned two-stage dispersion treatment include a dispersion treatment including a first stage of obtaining a dispersion liquid by performing a dispersion treatment on the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the binder, and the solvent in the presence of first dispersion beads, and a second stage of performing a dispersion treatment on the dispersion liquid obtained by the first stage in the presence of second dispersion beads having a bead size and a density smaller than a bead size and a density of the first dispersion beads. Hereinafter, the dispersion treatment of the aforementioned preferred aspect will be further described.

In order to improve the dispersibility of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, it is preferable that the first and second stages described above are performed as a dispersion treatment preceding the mixing of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder with other powder components. For example, in a case where the magnetic layer containing the abrasive and the aforementioned non-magnetic filler is formed, it is preferable to perform the aforementioned first and second stages as a dispersion treatment for a liquid (magnetic liquid) containing the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the binder, the solvent, and additives optionally added, before the abrasive and the non-magnetic filler are mixed with the liquid.

The bead size of the second dispersion beads is preferably equal to or less than 1/100 and more preferably equal to or less than 1/500 of the bead size of the first dispersion beads. Furthermore, the bead size of the second dispersion beads can be, for example, equal to or greater than 1/10,000 of the bead size of the first dispersion beads, but is not limited to this range. For example, the bead size of the second dispersion beads is preferably within a range of 80 to 1,000 nm. In contrast, the bead size of the first dispersion beads can be within a range of 0.2 to 1.0 mm, for example.

In the present invention and the present specification, the bead size is a value measured by the same method as used for measuring the aforementioned mean particle size of powder.

The second stage described above is preferably performed under the condition in which the second dispersion beads are present in an amount equal to or greater than 10 times the amount of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, and more preferably performed under the condition in which the second dispersion beads are present in an amount that is 10 to 30 times the amount of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, based on mass.

The amount of the first dispersion beads in the first stage is preferably within the above range.

The second dispersion beads are beads having a density smaller than that of the first dispersion beads. “Density” is obtained by dividing mass (unit: g) of the dispersion beads by volume (unit: cm³) thereof. The density is measured by the Archimedean method. The density of the second dispersion beads is preferably equal to or lower than 3.7 g/cm³, and more preferably equal to or lower than 3.5 g/cm³. The density of the second dispersion beads may be equal to or higher than 2.0 g/cm³ for example, and may be lower than 2.0 g/cm³. In view of density, examples of the second dispersion beads preferably include diamond beads, silicon carbide beads, silicon nitride beads, and the like. In view of density and hardness, examples of the second dispersion beads preferably include diamond beads.

The first dispersion beads are preferably dispersion beads having a density of higher than 3.7 g/cm³, more preferably dispersion beads having a density of equal to or higher than 3.8 g/cm³, and even more preferably dispersion beads having a density of equal to or higher than 4.0 g/cm³. The density of the first dispersion beads may be equal to or lower than 7.0 g/cm³ for example, and may be higher than 7.0 g/cm³. As the first dispersion beads, zirconia beads, alumina beads, or the like are preferably used, and zirconia beads are more preferably used.

The dispersion time is not particularly limited and may be set according to the type of the disperser used and the like.

Coating Step

The magnetic layer can be formed by directly coating a surface of the non-magnetic support with the composition for forming a magnetic layer or by performing multilayer coating by sequentially or simultaneously coating the support with the composition for forming a non-magnetic layer. The back coating layer can be formed by coating a surface side of the non-magnetic support opposite to the surface side which has the magnetic layer (or will be provided with the magnetic layer) with the composition for forming a back coating layer. For details of coating for forming each layer, paragraph “0066” in JP2010-231843A can be referred to.

Other Steps

Regarding other various steps for manufacturing the magnetic recording medium, paragraphs “0067” to “0070” in JP2010-231843A can be referred to. It is preferable to perform an alignment treatment on the coating layer of the composition for forming a magnetic layer while the coating layer is staying wet (undried). For the alignment treatment, it is possible to apply various known techniques including those described in paragraph “0067” in JP2010-231843A without any limitation. As described above, from the viewpoint of controlling the XRD intensity ratio, it is preferable to perform a vertical alignment treatment as the alignment treatment. Regarding the alignment treatment, the above description can also be referred to.

The aforementioned magnetic recording medium according to an aspect of the present invention can be a tape-like magnetic recording medium (magnetic tape), for example. Generally, the magnetic tape is distributed and used in a state of being accommodated in a magnetic tape cartridge. In the magnetic tape, in order to enable head tracking servo to be performed in a drive, a servo pattern can also be formed by a known method. By mounting the magnetic tape cartridge on a drive (referred to as “magnetic tape device” as well) and running the magnetic tape in the drive such that a magnetic head contacts and slides on a surface of the magnetic tape (surface of a magnetic layer), information is recorded on the magnetic tape and reproduced. In order to continuously or intermittently perform repeated reproduction of the information recorded on the magnetic tape, the magnetic tape is caused to repeatedly run in the drive. According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a magnetic tape in which the electromagnetic conversion characteristics thereof hardly deteriorate even though the head repeatedly slides on the surface of the magnetic layer while the tape is repeatedly running. Here, the magnetic recording medium according to an aspect of the present invention is not limited to the magnetic tape. The magnetic recording medium according to an aspect of the present invention is suitable as various magnetic recording media (a magnetic tape, a disc-like magnetic recording medium (magnetic disc), and the like) used in a sliding-type magnetic recording and/or reproduction device. The sliding-type device refers to a device in which a head contacts and slides on a surface of a magnetic layer in a case where information is recorded on a magnetic recording medium and/or the recorded information is reproduced. Such a device includes at least a magnetic tape and one or more magnetic heads for recording and/or reproducing information.

In the aforementioned sliding-type device, as the running speed of the magnetic tape is increased, it is possible to shorten the time taken for recording information and reproducing the recorded information. The running speed of the magnetic tape refers to a relative speed of the magnetic tape and the magnetic head. Generally, the running speed is set in a control portion of the device. As the running speed of the magnetic tape is increased, the pressure increases which is applied to both the surface of the magnetic layer and the magnetic head in a case where the surface of the magnetic layer and the magnetic head come into contact with each other. As a result, either or both of head scraping and magnetic layer scraping tend to easily occur. Accordingly, it is considered that the higher the running speed, the easier it is for the electromagnetic conversion characteristics to deteriorate during the repeated sliding. In the field of magnetic recording, the improvement of recording density is required. However, as the recording density is increased, the influence of the signal interference between the adjacent heads becomes stronger, and hence the electromagnetic conversion characteristics tend to be more easily deteriorate when the spacing loss is increased due to the repeated sliding. As described so far, as the running speed and the recording density are increased further, the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated sliding tends to be more apparent. In contrast, even in this case, according to the magnetic recording medium of an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to inhibit the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated sliding. The magnetic tape according to an aspect of the present invention is suitable for being used in a sliding-type device in which the running speed of the magnetic tape is, for example, equal to or higher than 5 m/sec (for example, 5 to 20 m/sec). In addition, the magnetic tape according to an aspect of the present invention is suitable as a magnetic tape for recording and reproducing information at a line recording density of equal to or higher than 250 kfci, for example. The unit kfci is the unit of a line recording density (this unit cannot be expressed in terms of the SI unit system). The line recording density can be equal to or higher than 250 kfci or equal to or higher than 300 kfci, for example. Furthermore, the line recording density can be equal to or lower than 800 kfci or higher than 800 kfci, for example.

EXAMPLES

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to the aspects shown in the examples. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, “part” and “%” represent “part by mass” and “% by mass” respectively. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the steps and the evaluations described below were performed in an environment with an atmospheric temperature of 23° C.±1° C.

Example 1

The formulations of compositions for forming each layer will be shown below.

Formulation of composition for forming magnetic layer

Magnetic Liquid

Plate-like ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder (M-type barium ferrite): 100.0 parts

Two kinds of ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders described below were used.

Ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder (1)

-   -   Mean particle size and formulation ratio: see Table 1

Ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder (2)

-   -   Mean particle size and formulation ratio: see Table 1

Oleic acid: 2.0 parts

Vinyl chloride copolymer (MR-104 manufactured by ZEON CORPORATION): 10.0 parts

SO₃Na group-containing polyurethane resin: 4.0 parts

(weight-average molecular weight: 70,000, SO₃Na group: 0.07 meq/g)

Amine-based polymer (DISPERBYK-102 manufactured by BYK-Chemie GmbH): 6.0 parts

Methyl ethyl ketone: 150.0 parts

Cyclohexanone: 150.0 parts

Abrasive liquid

α-Alumina: 6.0 parts

(BET specific surface area: 19 m²/g, Mohs hardness: 9)

SO₃Na group-containing polyurethane resin: 0.6 parts

(weight-average molecular weight: 70,000, SO₃Na group: 0.1 meq/g)

2,3-Dihydroxynaphthalene: 0.6 parts

Cyclohexanone: 23.0 parts

Projection-forming agent liquid

Colloidal silica: 2.0 parts

-   -   (mean particle size: 80 nm)

Methyl ethyl ketone: 8.0 parts

Lubricant and curing agent liquid

Stearic acid: 3.0 parts

Amide stearate: 0.3 parts

Butyl stearate: 6.0 parts

Methyl ethyl ketone: 110.0 parts

Cyclohexanone: 110.0 parts

Polyisocyanate (CORONATE (registered trademark) L manufactured by Tosoh Corporation): 3.0 parts

Formulation of composition for forming non-magnetic layer

Non-magnetic inorganic powder a iron oxide: 100.0 parts

-   -   (mean particle size: 10 nm, BET specific surface area: 75 m²/g)

Carbon black: 25.0 parts

-   -   (mean particle size: 20 nm)

SO₃Na group-containing polyurethane resin: 18.0 parts

-   -   (weight-average molecular weight: 70,000, content of SO₃Na         group: 0.2 meq/g)

Stearic acid: 1.0 part

Cyclohexanone: 300.0 parts

Methyl ethyl ketone: 300.0 parts

Formulation of composition for forming back coating layer

Non-magnetic inorganic powder a iron oxide: 80.0 parts

-   -   (mean particle size: 0.15 μm, BET specific surface area: 52         m²/g)

Carbon black: 20.0 parts

-   -   (mean particle size: 20 nm)

Vinyl chloride copolymer: 13.0 parts

Sulfonate group-containing polyurethane resin: 6.0 parts

Phenyl phosphonate: 3.0 parts

Cyclohexanone: 155.0 parts

Methyl ethyl ketone: 155.0 parts

Stearic acid: 3.0 parts

Butyl stearate: 3.0 parts

Polyisocyanate: 5.0 parts

Cyclohexanone: 200.0 parts

Preparation of Composition for Forming Magnetic Layer

The composition for forming a magnetic layer was prepared by the following method.

The aforementioned various components of a magnetic liquid were dispersed for 24 hours by a batch-type vertical sand mill by using zirconia beads (first dispersion beads, density: 6.0 g/cm³) having a bead size of 0.5 mm (first stage) and then filtered using a filter having a pore size of 0.5 μm, thereby preparing a dispersion liquid A. The amount of the used zirconia beads was 10 times the total mass of the ferromagnetic hexagonal barium ferrite powders (1) and (2) based on mass.

Then, the dispersion liquid A was dispersed for the time shown in Table 1 by a batch-type vertical sand mill by using diamond beads (second dispersion beads, density: 3.5 g/cm³) having a bead size shown in Table 1 (second stage), and the diamond beads were separated using a centrifuge, thereby preparing a dispersion liquid (dispersion liquid B). The following magnetic liquid is the dispersion liquid B obtained in this way.

The aforementioned various components of an abrasive liquid were mixed together and put into a horizontal beads mill disperser together with zirconia beads having a bead size of 0.3 mm, and the volume thereof was adjusted such that bead volume/(volume of abrasive liquid)+bead volume equaled 80%. The mixture was subjected to a dispersion treatment by using the beads mill for 120 minutes, and the liquid formed after the treatment was taken out and subjected to ultrasonic dispersion and filtration treatment by using a flow-type ultrasonic dispersion and filtration device. In this way, an abrasive liquid was prepared.

The prepared magnetic liquid and abrasive liquid as well as the aforementioned projection-forming agent liquid, the lubricant, and the curing agent liquid described above were introduced into a dissolver stirrer, stirred for 30 minutes at a circumferential speed of 10 m/sec, and then treated in 3 passes with a flow-type ultrasonic disperser at a flow rate of 7.5 kg/min. Thereafter, the resultant was filtered through a filter having a pore size of 1 μm, thereby preparing a composition for forming a magnetic layer.

Preparation of Composition for Forming Non-Magnetic Layer

The aforementioned various components of a composition for forming a non-magnetic layer were dispersed by a batch-type vertical sand mill for 24 hours by using zirconia beads having a bead size of 0.1 mm and then filtered using a filter having a pore size of 0.5 μm, thereby preparing a composition for forming a non-magnetic layer.

Preparation of Composition for Forming Back Coating Layer

Among the aforementioned various components of a composition for forming a back coating layer, the components except for the lubricant (stearic acid and butyl stearate), polyisocyanate, and 200.0 parts of cyclohexanone were kneaded and diluted using an open kneader and then subjected to a dispersion treatment in 12 passes by a horizontal beads mill disperser by using zirconia beads having a bead size of 1 mm by setting a bead filling rate to be 80% by volume, a circumferential speed of the rotor tip to be 10 m/sec, and a retention time per pass to be 2 minutes. Then, other components described above were added thereto, followed by stirring with a dissolver. The obtained dispersion liquid was filtered using a filter having a pore size of 1 μm, thereby preparing a composition for forming a back coating layer.

Preparation of Magnetic Tape

A surface of a support made of a polyethylene naphthalate having a thickness of 5.0 μm was coated with the composition for forming a non-magnetic layer prepared as above such that a thickness of 100 nm was obtained after drying, and then the composition was dried, thereby forming a non-magnetic layer. A surface of the formed non-magnetic layer was coated with the composition for forming a magnetic layer prepared as above such that a thickness of 70 nm was obtained after drying, thereby forming a coating layer. While the coating layer of the composition for forming a magnetic layer is staying wet (undried), a vertical alignment treatment was performed on the coating layer such that a magnetic field having the intensity shown in Table 1 was applied in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the coating layer. Then, the coating layer was dried.

Thereafter, a surface of the support opposite to the surface on which the non-magnetic layer and the magnetic layer were formed was coated with the composition for forming a back coating layer prepared as above such that a thickness of 0.4 μm was obtained after drying, and then the composition was dried. By using a calender constituted solely with metal rolls, a calender treatment (surface smoothing treatment) was performed on the obtained tape at a speed of 100 m/min, a line pressure of 300 kg/cm (294 kN/m), and a calender roll surface temperature of 90° C. Subsequently, the tape was subjected to a heat treatment for 36 hours in an environment with an atmospheric temperature of 70° C. After the heat treatment, the tape was slit in a width of ½ inches (0.0127 meters), and a servo pattern was Ruined on the magnetic layer by using a commercially available servowriter.

In this way, a magnetic tape of Example 1 was obtained.

Evaluation of deterioration of electromagnetic conversion characteristics (Signal-to-Noise-Ratio; SNR)

The electromagnetic conversion characteristics of the magnetic tape of Example 1 were measured using a ½-inch (0.0127 meters) reel tester, to which a head was fixed, by the following method.

The running speed of the magnetic tape (relative speed of magnetic head/magnetic tape) was set to be the value shown in Table 1. A Metal-In-Gap (MIG) head (gap length: 0.15 track width: 1.0 μm) was used as a recording head, and as a recording current, a recording current optimal for each magnetic tape was set. As a reproducing head, a Giant-Magnetoresistive (GMR) head having an element thickness of 15 nm, a shield gap of 0.1 and a lead width of 0.5 μm was used. Signals were recorded at a line recording density shown in Table 1, and the reproduced signals were measured using a spectrum analyzer manufactured by ShibaSoku Co., Ltd. A ratio between an output value of carrier signals and integrated noise in the entire bandwidth of the spectrum was taken as SNR. For measuring SNR, the signals of a portion of the magnetic tape, in which signals were sufficiently stabilized after running, were used.

Under the above conditions, each magnetic tape was caused to perform reciprocating running in 5,000 passes at 1,000 m/l pass in an environment with a temperature of 40° C. and a relative humidity of 80%, and then SNR was measured. Then, a difference between SNR of the 1^(st) pass and SNR of the 5,000^(th) pass (SNR of the 5,000^(th)) pass—SNR of the 1^(st) pass) was calculated.

The recording and reproduction described above were performed by causing the head to slide on a surface of the magnetic layer of the magnetic tape.

Examples 2 to 17

Magnetic tapes were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that various items shown in Table 1 were changed as shown in Table 1, and the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics (SNR) of the prepared magnetic tapes was evaluated.

In Table 1, in the example for which “N/A” is described in the column of Dispersion beads and the column of Time, the composition for forming a magnetic layer was prepared without performing the second stage in the dispersion treatment for the magnetic liquid.

In Table 1, in the example for which “N/A” is described in the column of Magnetic field intensity for vertical alignment treatment, the magnetic layer was formed without performing the alignment treatment.

The formulation ratio of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder described in Table 1 is a mass-based content ratio of each ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder with respect to a total of 100.0 parts by mass of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powders. The mean particle size of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder shown in Table 1 is a value obtained by collecting the powder in a required amount from the powder lot used for preparing the magnetic tape and measuring the mean particle size thereof by the method described above. The ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder having undergone the measurement of the mean particle size was used for preparing the magnetic liquid for preparing the magnetic tape.

A portion of each of the prepared magnetic tapes was used for the evaluation of the deterioration of electromagnetic conversion characteristics (SNR), and the other portion thereof was used for physical property evaluation described below.

Evaluation of Physical Properties of Magnetic Tape

(1) XRD Intensity Ratio

From each of the magnetic tapes of Examples 1 to 17, tape samples were cut.

By using a thin film X-ray diffractometer (SmartLab manufactured by Rigaku Corporation), X-rays were caused to enter a surface of the magnetic layer of the cut tape sample, and In-Plane XRD was performed by the method described above.

From the X-ray diffraction spectrum obtained by In-Plane XRD, a peak intensity Int (114) of a diffraction peak of (114) plane and a peak intensity Int (110) of a diffraction peak of (110) plane of the hexagonal ferrite crystal structure were determined, and the XRD intensity ratio (Int (110)/Int (114)) was calculated.

(2) Squareness Ratio in Vertical Direction

For each of the magnetic tapes of Examples 1 to 17, by using a vibrating sample fluxmeter (manufactured by TOEI INDUSTRY, CO., LTD.), a squareness ratio in a vertical direction was determined by the method described above.

(3) Base Material Friction

First, by using a laser marker, marks were made on a measurement surface, and an atomic force microscope (AFM) image of a portion separated from the marks by a certain distance (about 100 μm) was measured. The measurement was performed by setting a visual field area to be 7 μm×7 μm. At this time, in order to make it easy to capture a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of the same site as will be described later, the cantilever was changed to a hard one (monocrystalline silicon), and marks were made using AFM. From the AFM image measured in this way, all the projections having a height of equal to or greater than 15 nm from the reference plane were extracted. Then, the site where the presence of a projection was not confirmed was specified as a base material portion, and the base material friction was measured using the TI-950 TRIBOINDENTER manufactured by Hysitron by the method described above.

Furthermore, an SEM image of the same site as that measured using AFM was measured to obtain a component map, and it was confirmed that the extracted projections having a height of equal to or greater than 15 nm from the reference plane are projections formed of alumina or colloidal silica. In each example, none of alumina and colloidal silica were confirmed in the base material portion in the component map obtained using SEM. Herein, the component analysis was performed using SEM. However, the component analysis is not limited to SEM, and can be performed by known methods such as Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES).

The results obtained as above are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Dispersion treatment for magnetic liquid Second stage Dispersion beads Formulation amount (mass of beads Ferromagnetic Ferromagnetic with respect to hexagonal hexagonal total mass of ferrite powder (1) ferrite powder (2) ferromagnetic Mean Mean hexagonal ferrite particle Formulation particle Formulation Bead powders (1) size ratio size ratio Type size and (2)) Time Example 1 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 2 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 3 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 4 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 5 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 20 times greater 1 h Example 6 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 7 22 nm  98.8% 60 nm 1.2% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 8 22 nm  98.5% 60 nm 1.5% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 9 22 nm 100.0% — — N/A N/A N/A N/A Example 10 22 nm 100.0% — — N/A N/A N/A N/A Example 11 22 nm 100.0% — — N/A N/A N/A N/A Example 12 22 nm 100.0% — — Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 13 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% N/A N/A N/A N/A Example 14 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% N/A N/A N/A N/A Example 15 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% N/A N/A N/A N/A Example 16 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Example 17 22 nm  99.0% 60 nm 1.0% Diamond 500 nm 10 times greater 1 h Magnetic field XRD intensity for intensity Squareness Running vertical Base ratio ratio in speed of Line alignment material Int (110)/ vertical magnetic recording SNR treatment friction Int (114) direction tape density deterioration Example 1 0.15 T 0.30 0.5 0.69 6 m/s 270 kfci −0.5 dB Example 2 0.20 T 0.30 1.5 0.75 6 m/s 270 kfci −0.6 dB Example 3 0.30 T 0.30 2.4 0.81 6 m/s 270 kfci −0.5 dB Example 4 0.50 T 0.30 4.0 0.85 6 m/s 270 kfci −0.5 dB Example 5 0.15 T 0.30 0.7 0.83 6 m/s 270 kfci −0.4 dB Example 6 0.30 T 0.30 2.4 0.81 8 m/s 300 kfci −0.8 dB Example 7 0.30 T 0.25 2.4 0.81 8 m/s 300 kfci −0.5 dB Example 8 0.30 T 0.22 2.4 0.81 8 m/s 300 kfci −0.3 dB Example 9 N/A 0.45 0.2 0.55 4 m/s 200 kfci −1.0 dB Example 10 N/A 0.45 0.2 0.55 6 m/s 270 kfci −3.0 dB Example 11 N/A 0.45 0.2 0.55 8 m/s 300 kfci −4.5 dB Example 12 0.15 T 0.45 0.5 0.70 6 m/s 270 kfci −2.5 dB Example 13 N/A 0.30 0.3 0.56 6 m/s 270 kfci −2.5 dB Example 14 0.15 T 0.30 3.8 0.62 6 m/s 270 kfci −2.0 dB Example 15 0.30 T 0.30 5.0 0.76 6 m/s 270 kfci −2.4 dB Example 16 1.00 T 0.30 6.2 0.88 6 m/s 270 kfci −2.1 dB Example 17 N/A 0.30 0.3 0.65 6 m/s 270 kfci −2.5 dB

From the results shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that in Examples 1 to 8, in which each of the XRD intensity ratio, the squareness ratio in a vertical direction, and the base material friction of the magnetic tape is within the range described above, the electromagnetic conversion characteristics hardly deteriorate even though reproduction is repeated by causing the head to slide on the surface of the magnetic layer, unlike in Examples 9 to 17.

In Examples 9 to 11, magnetic tapes of the same physical properties were used, but the magnetic tapes had different running speeds and different line recording densities. Through the comparison between Examples 9 to 11, it is possible to confirm that as the running speed or the line recording density of the magnetic tape is increased, the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated sliding becomes more apparent. In Examples 1 to 8, the deterioration of the electromagnetic conversion characteristics during the repeated sliding could be inhibited.

One aspect of the present invention can be useful in the technical field of magnetic recording media for data storage such as data backup tapes. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A magnetic recording medium comprising: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer which is provided on the support and contains ferromagnetic powder and a binder, wherein the ferromagnetic powder is ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, the magnetic layer contains an abrasive, an intensity ratio (Int (110)/Int (114)) of a peak intensity Int (110) of a diffraction peak of (110) plane of a crystal structure of the hexagonal ferrite, determined by performing X-ray diffraction analysis on the magnetic layer by using an In-Plane method, to a peak intensity Int (114) of a diffraction peak of (114) plane of the crystal structure is equal to or higher than 0.5 and equal to or lower than 4.0, a squareness ratio of the magnetic recording medium in a vertical direction is equal to or higher than 0.65 and equal to or lower than 1.00, and a coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or lower than 0.30.
 2. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the squareness ratio in a vertical direction is equal to or higher than 0.65 and equal to or lower than 0.90.
 3. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or higher than 0.15 and equal to or lower than 0.30; and the coefficient of friction on the base portion is determined using a spherical indentor at a load of 100 micro-Newton and a speed of 1 micron/s on three random portions of the base portion, calculating the coefficient of friction μ from the formula μ=F/N, where F is the frictional force in Newtons and N is the normal force in Newtons, and adopting the arithmetic average of the three measured values obtained as the coefficient of friction measured on the base portion.
 4. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 2, wherein the coefficient of friction measured in a base material portion within a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or higher than 0.15 and equal to or lower than 0.30; and the coefficient of friction on the base portion is determined using a spherical indentor at a load of 100 micro-Newton and a speed of 1 micron/s on three random portions of the base portion, calculating the coefficient of friction μ from the formula μ=F/N, where F is the frictional force in Newtons and N is the normal force in Newtons, and adopting the arithmetic average of the three measured values obtained as the coefficient of friction measured on the base portion.
 5. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising: a non-magnetic layer containing non-magnetic powder and a binder between the non-magnetic support and the magnetic layer.
 6. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising: a back coating layer containing non-magnetic powder and a binder on a surface, which is opposite to a surface provided with the magnetic layer, of the non-magnetic support.
 7. The magnetic recording medium according to claim 1, which is a magnetic tape. 